Based on Jonah 1:1-16 (New King James Version)
“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.’ But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up. Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep. So the captain came to him, and said to him, ‘What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.’ And they said to one another, ‘Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, ‘Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?’ So he said to them, ‘I am a Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’ Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, ‘Why have you done this?’ For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. Then they said to him, ‘What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?’—for the sea was growing more tempestuous. And he said to them, ‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.’ Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. Therefore they cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.’ So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows.”
One of the greatest harms that the devil has done in these last times, especially in how he has involved himself in harming sound doctrine is the issue of doing away with responsibility. We live in a time where neither much of so-called believers, and far less, the unbeliever wishes to deal with any kind of responsibility. Almost no one likes to be held responsible for their actions. But no matter what they do or want to believe, the opinion of a human being (whatever it may be) does not change the reality of the universe, that God is God, and that everyone will give an account (irrefutably and indisputably) before this good, loving, but also, righteous, powerful, and consuming fire God. God is all of that and more.
This first part of the book of Jonah is one that leaves very clear this issue of responsibility. Many will argue different things here, that all of this happened, even Jonah’s disobedience, because it was part of Lord’s plan, because there is such a thing as predestination. Others will argue that Jonah’s disobedience was a good thing because others came to know the One True God through these circumstances. There may be others that might think that neither Jonah nor these men would have perished because God knew up to what point He would take them. People will think many things. But like everything in the Word of God, everything should be seen through the lens of the fulness of the Word, and not just a single passage.
The issue is this, that Jonah disobeyed and fled from his responsibility. If the men on the ship had not searched for the answer to why the storm was happening, they would not have lived beyond that. If Jonah would have persisted in his rebellion, both Jonah and the men on the ship would have perished. Everything that happened was because God allowed it, and in response to each person's actions. And everything changed for the better at that moment because everyone was wise enough to realize a fact, that God is the only God, and that it is convenient to do as He wishes, and also, that everything happens as He chooses, as the True God that He is. God held each person responsible for their actions, and each obeyed for their own good. Now, just because God took advantage of Jonah's sin does not mean that Jonah was right in his disobedience. God would have reached those men in another way, but because God is God and takes advantage of everything, it does not mean that a person did a right wrong, so to speak. And here comes this issue of responsibility again.
This is what the Lord Himself taught about responsibility: “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ ‘Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ ‘But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” Matthew 25:14-30. The talent is Christ and each person will give an account of what they did with Christ, if they discarded God’s gift or entrustment (however they want to see it), or if they did nothing with the opportunity of salvation that God gave them, as well as if they took this precious talent and did the will of the Father, and let the sacrifice of Christ bear fruit in their life, as God desires. The point is that if a person rejects Christ, or does nothing with Christ in their life, they will be irrefutably cast into hell. There is no such thing as justifying irresponsibility before God. Do you know who Christ is and what He has done for you? If it’s a yes, then you are responsible for that Truth, and you will give an account for what you do with that Truth. So, do you live your life responsibly before God? Lord bless! John